Views of the 1955 Gran Prix d’Agadir, Morocco

When the winter comes and the European tracks ice over, were drivers content of just let their racing machines languish in the cold workshop? No. Ship them to Nassau, to Tasmania, to Angola, and indeed to Morocco. The exotic locations captured in images like these always make me wonder why we don’t see more of this kind of thing in contemporary racing?

Sure, the street courses themselves may not allow for racing today, but why aren’t we keeping the motors running all winter long. Then it hit me, these exotic races were usually non-championship races. Why wouldn’t Moss or Graham Hill head to the Bahamas and gather up a win or two (and the often large purses that went along with them)? In the modern era, drivers are often dissuaded—or explicitly forbidden—from competing outside their series and the off-season is spent on a bike or in the gym in constant off-track preparation for the “real” racing to come in 5 or 6 months. What a pity.

A shame that we can’t enjoy a race weekend in a location like this gorgeous seaside resort town of Agadir? It proved a fantastic backdrop for this running in 1955.

More than the national racing colors; more than the accessibility of the paddock; perhaps even more than the skyrocketing expense of racing; it may by the hyper-specialization of drivers and the lack of crossover from single-seater to sports car to stock car that is the tragedy of contemporary motorsport.

Also, is this Enzo Ferrari in a T-Bird? If so, there’s just something wrong (or very very right) about Enzo Ferrari being in a Ford.

Update: Although there is quite a resemblance to Ferrari in that particular photo, a Agadir1960.com identifies that Ford’s passenger as Hubert Terrier, President of the Sports Car Club of Agadir. Many thanks to Autodiva members for digging up the facts.